A view of the new BG Group Place building, Monday, April 4, 2011, at 811 Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. (Todd Spoth/For the Chronicle)

A view of the new BG Group Place building, Monday, April 4, 2011, at 811 Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. (Todd Spoth/For the Chronicle)

Photo: TODD SPOTH, Freelance

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BG Group Place in downtown Houston won a BOMA International TOBY Award in the 500,000 to One Million Square Feet category.

BG Group Place in downtown Houston won a BOMA International TOBY Award in the 500,000 to One Million Square Feet category.

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A view of the new BG Place building, Monday, April 4, 2011, at 811 Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. (Todd Spoth/For the Chronicle)

A view of the new BG Place building, Monday, April 4, 2011, at 811 Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. (Todd Spoth/For the Chronicle)

Photo: TODD SPOTH, Freelance

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A view of the new BG Group Place building, Monday, April 4, 2011, at 811 Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. (Todd Spoth/For the Chronicle)

A view of the new BG Group Place building, Monday, April 4, 2011, at 811 Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. (Todd Spoth/For the Chronicle)

Photo: TODD SPOTH, Freelance

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The 46-story BG Group Place in downtown Houston has drawn a number of law firms as tenants since it opened in 2011.

The 46-story BG Group Place in downtown Houston has drawn a number of law firms as tenants since it opened in 2011.

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Deal of the Week: Newcomer to town takes space at BG Group Place

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Gibson Dunn, a global law firm that set up shop in Houston in February, will relocate to downtown's BG Group Place at 811 Main early next year.

The firm, which specializes in the oil and gas industry in Houston, has subleased 55,000 square feet on floors 30 and 31 from Shell. Houston is now among 20 global offices for Gibson Dunn, which has 1,200 lawyers and traces its roots to 1890 in Southern California.

"Gibson Dunn had a geographic hole in their practice. That was Houston," said Michael P. Darden, partner in charge of the Houston office.

Shell, which has moved most of its downtown operations to west Houston, has found subtenants for the bulk of the approximately 300,000 square feet it put up for sublease at 811 Main. It gained the space with the acquisition of BG Group in 2016.

"All the BG/British Gas sublease space has been subleased, except for a partial floor," said Tim Relyea, executive vice chairman of Cushman & Wakefield whose team handles deals for Shell.

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Gibson Dunn has 13 attorneys, all from Baker Botts or Latham & Watkins, and is growing, Darden said.

There is no set timeline for the expansion, Darden said, adding that the firm will "recruit the best people for the practices that we have."

The firm is targeting a February move-in from temporary offices in LyondellBasell Tower.

In 2010, Darden helped established the Houston office of Latham & Watkins, its neighbor-to-be at 811 Main.

Developed by Hines, the 46-story building has attracted a number of law firms since opening in 2011.

Jones Walker recently relocated its downtown office to 811 Main as part of its growth plans in Houston. The firm, which has 355 attorneys in the U.S., serves clients throughout Texas from offices in downtown and The Woodlands.

"Our team has grown to more than two dozen lawyers since we first opened an office in downtown Houston more than 10 years ago," Lara Pringle, newly appointed office head for the firm's Texas offices, said in an announcement.